Plans are well underway for the 3rd Annual Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival, to be held Saturday, May 4th and Sunday, May 5th, at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds, in Crownsville, MD. The Festival is a family affair and will feature food, libations, continuous live music from three stages, activities for all ages, arts and crafts vendors, and cooking demonstrations.

With the generous support of the community and over 12,000 attendees, the Parole (Annapolis) Rotary Foundation raised over $30,000 at last year’s event for local kid charities. According to Don Chomas, Festival Director, “last year was a huge success and we are looking forward to raising the bar even higher this year! We’re all working hard to make this year’s event even better…more delicious barbeque, more music, more kids’ activities…just more. We are a service club that significantly improves lives in our local community and around the world by meeting real needs. Through the work we do for the Festival and all year long, our club makes a positive difference for youth today, so they will make a difference tomorrow.”

In just two short years, the Parole (Annapolis) Rotary Club Foundation, Inc., has provided grants to Anne Arundel Medical Center Pediatrics Emergency Inpatient Unit, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, and numerous other local children’s charities. The club has also assisted the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund and Disaster Aid USA.

The Naptown barBAyq is a Kansas City barBAYq sanctioned competition – teams will compete in four Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) sanctioned categories–Chicken, Ribs, Pork, and Brisket. Prizes will be awarded for the top ten places in each category. Last year, more than 40 pro bbq teams traveled to Annapolis, Maryland to compete for trophies, bragging rights and $9,000 in prize money. The Grand Champion of the 2012 Naptown barBAYq was Chix, Swine & Bovine Bbq – a reigning Grand Champion, KCBS Competition BBQ Team, that has earned a reputation as one of the top teams on the KCBS competition circuit in the Nation. Highlighting this year’s festival and barBAYq competition, will be the Saturday People’s Choice Pulled Pork Contest judged by festival guests. First place receives $1,000 and a trophy. Second place receives $500 and a trophy.

The music line-up this year will feature over 44 entertainers from around the area, including Annapolis’ own Dirty Names, The Crimestoppers from Washington, DC, Scattered Leaves from southern Maryland, and the Brass Quintet from the Londontowne Symphony Orchestra. Also performing this year – the Grilled Lincolns, Swampcandy, Dean Rosenthol, Sweet Leda and many more local/regional performers! The line-up will pack the stages with Alternative, Acoustic, Blues, Classic Rock, Classical, Country, Jazz and Folk music. The 2013 Naptown barBAYq has something for everyone…and we’re doing it for the kids!

Sponsorships at all levels are available and help defray the costs for running such a large Festival. For sponsorship information, please contact Bill Fine, Sponsorship Director at 410 493-8467 orwfine46@verizon.net.

For more information about the Festival, contact Don Chomas, Festival Director at 240-432-3903 or donchomas@gmail.com. Tickets are $10 adults, kids under 12 admitted free. Parking is free. VIP tickets also available. Please “LIKE” us on Facebook by searching “Naptown barBAYq,” follow on Twitter @barBAYq, or search YouTube for “Naptown barBAYq.” The Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival is hosted by the Parole (Annapolis) Rotary Club Foundation, Inc., the 501(c)3 entity of the Parole (Annapolis) Rotary Club and staffed by members of the Parole (Annapolis) Rotary Club of Annapolis.

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